Twilight characters and plotline are the property of Stephanie Meyer.

Mynxi is my beta. She teaches me with red ink ;-) xoxoxo baby!

Chapter Seven,

BPOV

I hummed to myself as I finished my shower. Jasper had just dropped me off from his place and was off to hunt this afternoon. It had been two weeks since Jasper had shown up at the club and we were still seeing each other every day.

We were starting to fall into a sort of routine now. On work nights, Jasper picked me up and escorted me to the club. He hung out there until my shift was over, much to the irritation of the club owner. After work, he would escort me home or to his place. I had insisted on returning to my apartment a couple of times, but Jasper's place was so much closer that it was hard to resist going there after a long night on my feet.

My nights in Jasper's bed were spent alone, unless I had a nightmare. I had forced myself to start sleeping without holding his hand to avoid becoming too dependent, but after a bad dream I couldn't resist the comfort it provided.

In the mornings, Jasper would drop me back at my apartment so he could hunt and I could do my own thing for awhile. I could tell he didn't like leaving me alone, but he knew better than to pester me too much about it.

I started blowing my hair dry, teasing it slightly. After it was dry, I started fooling around with different braids, since I was bored and had time to kill. Tightly twisting small segments of hair and then wrapping them into little coils close to my scalp, I pulled the ends through, leaving little spikes sticking out. I checked my reflection and decided I liked the effect. It would be a lot of work, but it would look good when I finished.

It took a good hour to finish my whole head, but that still left me with a few hours until Jasper would pick me up. I heard the door to the apartment open as Andy returned home. Sighing to myself, I tried to decide if I should go see him or hide in my room. He had been so strange since he had learned about my past. One day he would act normal toward me, the next he would be downright rude.

I hadn't tried to talk to him about his behavior yet, but I was going to have to bring up the issue sooner or later. It just wasn't like him to be nasty to anyone, and the reason for the change in his demeanor was a mystery to me. He was spending more and more time out, and I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen him sober since our big chat. His behavior was really starting to worry me, but it was hard to force myself to confront him.

Deciding to test the waters, I walked out to the living room to check his attitude today. He had collapsed on the couch with his eyes closed. He looked even more haggard than usual, and it was clear he had lost weight over the last week. Clearing my throat, I walked over to the chair. "Is it safe to sit down today, or should I go hide?"

"No worries B, I feel too good to fight today," he answered slowly with his eyes closed. He must be on some sort of depressant today, but at least it had improved his mood. The past few times I had seen him high he had been jumpy and agitated, snapping at me and stalking out of the room.

Slipping into the chair, I struggled to find a neutral way to start a conversation. "Have you noticed how much warmer it is in here lately? I guess someone finally fixed the boiler or something," I blurted out randomly. He cracked one eye at me, catching sight of my hair style for the first time.

He let out a long whistle, but I couldn't tell if he liked it or if he was mocking me. "Fierce hair, Izzy. Channeling your inner punk?" he asked in a drowsy voice.

"Yep, thought I'd try something different. Maybe I'll get better tips," I answered hopefully. "What do you think? I'm gonna go real heavy on the eye makeup, and..." I trailed off as he closed his eyes again, apparently losing interest in the topic of my appearance. "It looks good, Bella. I'm sure you'll figure your makeup out without my help," he mumbled sleepily. His speech was slurred and it looked like he was barely conscious.

"Andy, you're scaring me. You're using so much more and you're never home. I'm worried about you." My voice trembled slightly as I admitted my concern to him.

"Don't waste energy worrying about me, Izz. I'm not worth it," he mumbled as he slid further down onto the couch, rolling away from me.

Realizing the conversation was clearly over, I sighed and stood up. I knew that I couldn't "fix" Andy, but I wished I knew what was driving him down this self destructive path.

Deciding to spend my time on a problem I could actually solve, I headed to my room. The heat was working so much better in the apartment that I no longer needed so many blankets on my bed. I set to work folding the hodgepodge of worn layers that I had been using since the weather turned cold. That job finished, I searched my brain for something to do to pass the time.

Remembering Andy's skinny appearance, I decided to go out and pick him up a sandwich. Jasper insisted on buying my meals when we were together, so I had plenty of cash to grab something for Andy. I knew that Jasper wouldn't be happy about my extra trip outside on an overcast day, but I couldn't stand to sit in the apartment any longer.

I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. The wind nearly cut me in two as I stepped outside, so I set a quick pace as I made my way to the deli, scanning the people around me for bright red hair. There were a few small clothing shops on the way and I admired some of the outfits in the windows as I passed.

I was going to need to invest in some clothing soon. My work wardrobe was in good shape, but my everyday clothes were starting to fall apart. Since Jasper had shown up I was out a lot more frequently, but I was running out of outfits that were decent to wear in public. Fortunately, thanks to the way he was taking care of most of my meals, my clothes budget was growing.

As I neared the deli, I turned my thoughts to my increasing dependence on seeing Jasper. It was harder and harder to keep my distance from him, physically and emotionally. Touching him was getting addictive, and sometimes I almost had to sit on my hands to keep myself from reaching out to him unnecessarily. Part of the draw was the lovely peace that our touch caused, but if I was going to be honest with myself, I had to admit it was more than that.

Physical contact had been absent from my life since I had run from Forks and it was hard to restrain myself from touching Jasper now that he was around. I tried to keep it casual when I did break down and reach for him, limiting myself to holding his hand, but it was becoming more difficult. I would start off sitting across the room, but I almost always found myself curled up with him by the end of the evening. It was like the cells of my body were pulling me toward him, and when we finally made contact, it was like putting the last piece in a puzzle.

Last night, while curled up next to him during our usual after dinner movie, I had caught myself playing with his hair, running my fingers through the longish, silky strands. He had seemed to enjoy it, leaning into my touch, but I was horrified at my lapse in control. My brain was screaming at me to stop, but I couldn't force my fingers to stop the movement.

It had been almost impossible to peel myself off of him to go to bed. Sleep had been slow to come, and then it was quickly interrupted by nightmares. Jasper woke me as the first scream left my lips, rocking me gently and humming to me. After I had settled, he tucked me back in, keeping my hand in his. I drifted back asleep to the soothing sensation of his fingers gently combing through my hair.

Pulling myself back into the present, I ordered Andy a ham and cheese sandwich and a pastrami on rye for myself. I sneered at the girl behind the register as she stared at my hair. Granted, it was a little out of the ordinary, but she really needed to get a grip. This was New York, and my hair was tame compared to some of the freaky shit out there. When my order was ready I grabbed two sodas and paid, fighting the temptation to make scary faces at the cashier.

Eager to get out of the cold, I booked it back to the apartment. I relished the warm air that met me as I quietly entered my apartment and walked over to check on Andy. He was still lying on the couch, but he was starting to twitch every few seconds. I knew he would be up soon to start looking for his next fix, so I decided to wake him.

I leaned over and gently shook his arm. "Andy, get up. I brought lunch for us," I said firmly. "Go away, Izz, I'm not hungry," he growled from the couch cushion. "What a shame," I said in a sing-song voice. "I brought ham and cheese, your favorite." He mumbled incoherently, but he began to move, so I started laying the sandwiches out on the coffee table.

We ate silently and I finished first. Rolling the wrapper from my sandwich into a ball, I pitched it quickly at him. It struck him square between the eyes, causing him to snort soda. "Fuck, Bella, that hurts," he moaned, coughing and sputtering. "Sorry, Andy, I was sure I would miss!" I gasped out, unable to hold in my giggles. He finally recovered and gifted me with the first real smile I had seen on his face for weeks.

"Only you would get a direct hit by trying to miss, Bella." He rolled his eyes at me and took the last bite of his sandwich. "It's good to see you smile," I said softly. "I've missed it lately." He looked away and shrugged. "What do want me to say, Bella? I'm sorry my life sucks," he replied defensively. "I'm not judging, Andy," I reassured him. "I just want you to know I'm worried, and I'm here if you need me," I said, standing and walking toward my room.

"Thanks, Izzy B." His reply was so soft, I barely heard it, but it made me feel better. At least I had taken the chance to let him know I was concerned. There wasn't much else I could do unless he came to me. Feeling like some of the load was off my shoulders, I headed to my closet to pick out tonight's work attire.

It was about time to finish getting ready for work. I wanted to be totally ready when Jasper arrived to pick me up so I could see his reaction to my appearance. He had never commented on my "work clothes", but a few of my more revealing choices had earned a low whistle of appreciation when he saw them. It made me feel good to know he thought I could carry the skimpy outfits off. Acting confident was crucial since I worked nearly naked, but deep inside I still felt insecure about myself.

I chose a fishnet long sleeved shirt over my black push up bra. Over it, I shimmied into a skin tight tank dress which fell to mid thigh. Fishnet stocking underneath were covered up to my knees by black lug sole boots to complete the effect. Grabbing my makeup bag, I walked to the bathroom to finish my preparations. I applied heavy grey eye shadow and accented it with heavy liner past the corners of my eyes. Thick, glittery mascara coated my lashes. I kept the lipstick neutral, not wanting to go overboard.

The stranger in the mirror made me laugh at myself. The outfit itself wasn't out of the usual for work, but combined with the hair and makeup I looked "fierce" as Andy had said earlier. Smiling at the thought of myself as a punk rock waitress, I walked back to my room to wait for Jasper.

I picked up one of the magazines he had brought with him last week. He had started showing up with small gifts every few days. It was never anything expensive, and it was always something that made my days nicer. I really appreciated the thought behind it, but it was starting to make me uncomfortable. I knew I was already relying on him more than I should, and it didn't feel right to accept so many gifts, even if they were small.

My thoughts were interrupted by Jasper's knock on the door. Eager for his opinion on my outfit, I raced out to answer the door. Andy was sitting on the edge of the couch, and I couldn't help laughing at his round eyes as he took in my outfit. "Shut up," I scolded him before he could comment. He rolled his eyes and laughed at me as I pulled the door open dramatically, revealing Jasper's face.

I watched his eyes move over my body as he took in my appearance. His expression was blank, and I stared back at him with one eyeball raised, waiting for his evaluation. He finally cracked a grin and let out a very long whistle. "Hell's Bells, what an outfit! What's the special occasion tonight?"

Smiling back at him, I tugged him into the apartment. I spun around and asked, "Do you like it? Can I carry it off?" I asked anxiously. He reached out and touched my spiky hair. "Let's just say that I'm sure the customerswill appreciate it," he said in a sultry whisper.

Blushing, I turned to grab my jacket. Jasper noticed Andy on the couch and nodded at him. "How 'ya doin'?" he asked simply. He and Andy had never really warmed up toward each other since their initial conversation. Andy hadn't been around much, so they hadn't had a chance to get to know each other better, and I knew Jasper didn't like it that I had been worrying about Andy.

Andy gave a quick nod back at Jasper. "I'm cool, man." Crossing his arms across his chest and putting his feet up on the coffee table, he pointed a finger toward me. "You'd better keep a close eye on her, it'll be a frisky crowd tonight."

I stared at him in surprise. "How do you know what the crowd will be like?" I demanded. He shrugged his shoulders and looked away. "My new friends are talking about going there, and they like to make some noise," he replied, not meeting my eyes. This was the first I had heard about anybody who Andy had been spending all his time with, and I was concerned that this new crowd might be behind his increased drug use and unstable mood.

Jasper gave him a hard look. "Do you wanna tell me anything specific?" he asked, his voice sounding tense. Andy just shrugged and gave an asshole grin. "Nah, should be fine, just watch her back for busy hands," he said, standing and walking into his room without another word.

Shaking my head at his retreating back, I turned to Jasper. "I don't know what's with him. He was decent to me earlier today." He looked back at me sadly. "Drugs mess you up, Bella," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Any chance I can get you to call out tonight?" he asked hopefully.

I rolled my eyes at him, grabbed my backpack full of spare clothes, and headed to the door. "No way, I'm not wasting all this work," I snapped, indicating my hair as we walked out and locked up. He sighed loudly, but followed me without protesting.

I was surprised when he reached out for my hand as we walked quickly to the subway station. Smiling as the calm surrounded us, I squeezed his hand gently in reassurance, aware that he was worrying about the evening.

We sat next to each other on the subway, keeping our hands locked together. I still insisted on taking the train to work, despite his preference for driving. I just couldn't take the thought of paying to park while I worked, since I would barely earn enough to cover the parking cost.

The club was already busy as I entered, so I quickly grabbed an apron and a tray and got to work. Watching Jasper make his way to his normal table in the back, his token beer in hand, I shook my head at his stubbornness. In my opinion, it was overkill for him to sit here all night. Surrounded by the smells of so many other humans in a small space, I was relatively safe from vampire attack here.

Waving at Kristin, I headed toward the first table in my section. The crowd was a mix of average college types, some tattooed biker types, and an increasing number of loud young men wearing flashy designer outfits and flaunting large wads of cash.

"Weird mix tonight, huh?" I asked Kristin as we both approached the bar. "Yeah," she agreed. "Watch the new bunch, they think they can tip their way into a feel," she warned with a grim face, pointing her head toward the wealthy looking bunch. "Will do, thanks Kris."

"I see your hottie is with you again tonight," she teased. The other waitresses all drooled over Jasper, and wouldn't believe me when I insisted we weren't dating. "Yeah, I tried to beat him off with a stick, but it didn't work," I deadpanned at her, lifting my tray and turning away. I glanced at him as I made my way to my tables and he raised his beer at me in acknowledgement. Giving him a small smile, I went back to work, getting into a groove as the evening passed.

Just after two o'clock, I noticed that a new group of the rowdy rich guys had taken over a few of my tables. Doing a double take in surprise, I noticed Andy sitting next to a tall blonde guy flashing a watch that probably cost more than Jasper's car. I gave Andy a small wave, but he ignored it. I rolled my eyes at his rudeness. Fine, if he's too good to talk to me at work, we'll play it his way, I said to myself.

I made my way over to their tables and started taking drink orders. With the exception of Andy's quiet request for a beer, every order was given with a leer and an insulting sexual invitation. Ignoring the trash talk, I simply repeated their orders back and answered "No thanks," to the propositions. I made my way around the group and was taking the last order when one of the guys grabbed my ass, hard.

I stepped quickly away from his hand and met his glassy eyes with a hard stare. "Hands off, please," I said briskly. "I'm just trying to do my work here. I'm here to serve drinks not to provide entertainment." The short, dark skinned guy just sneered at me. Waving a hundred dollar bill in my face, he leaned closer to me. "Come on baby, I'll make it worth your while," he crooned into my ear.

"Sorry, not interested," I said flatly, stepping further away from his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Andy's face. He was pale and clenching his hand on the table. The blond guy next to him clenched his arm tightly and whispered something to him. Andy's shoulders slumped in defeat and he looked away from me.

"Anybody else need a drink?" I asked as I turned to walk toward the bar. Worrying about Jasper's reaction to the jerks harassing me, I looked toward his table. It was empty, so I scanned the room trying to find him. Before I could locate him, I felt a rough hand on my shoulder jerk me back toward the table.

The short dickhead had me by the arm, pushing me backward until I bumped into a chair. "You should be begging me for it, baby," he whispered ominously. He wrenched my empty tray from me and I instinctively raised my arms over my face as I saw him fling his drink toward my face. The cold, sticky liquor was shocking as it splashed over my arms and head, even though I was prepared for it. The glass went wide, missing my head by inches. In slow motion, I watched him raise the tray in preparation to strike me.

I watched the tray arc toward my head and tried to turn away. Suddenly I was twisted around again, encased in Jasper's leather covered arms. He hunched his long torso over me, completely shielding me from the man assaulting me. I heard the sound of my tray striking Jasper's back, but of course he made no indication of the impact.

The short guy screamed obscenities at us and kept swinging the tray at Jasper. "Are you okay?" he asked in an intense voice, ignoring the mayhem behind us. I nodded my head yes and reached my hands up to hold onto his arms, which were wrapped around my chest. He began to move us steadily away from the tray wielding man.

Vaguely, I registered the sound of Dean storming into the jerk's face and removing the tray from him. The crazy asshole kept screaming, when suddenly the blonde guy next to Andy stood up and walked over to him. "Shut up and stop making a scene, Tony," he demanded. The shorter man immediately stopped screaming and started apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Alex," he stammered nervously. "It won't happen again," he continued as he sat down in an empty chair. "See that it doesn't, or find someone else to play with, Tony," the tall blonde replied smoothly, returning to his seat beside Andy.

Jasper continued moving me toward the back of the club where the employee lounge was. I caught a glimpse of Andy's face fixed on the table in front of him as we moved away. Jasper's grip grew slightly tighter, but it was comforting rather than constricting.

We finally made our way to the lounge and he swept me onto the empty sofa there, kneeling in front of me. He looked me over anxiously, all the while apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I couldn't get there quicker without people seeing me move too fast! You're sure you're okay?" he asked again, running his hands over my arms, apparently checking for injuries.

His eyes were tight with tension and I noticed they were a darker shade of brown than they had been since we had found each other. I reached up to his face and cupped his cheek with my hand. "I'm fine, Jasper, just sticky and wet. He never got me with the tray, I'm fine," I assured him, placing my other hand on top of his. His expression relaxed as our peace surrounded us, and I closed my eyes at the sensation.

"Izzy, are you okay," Kristin screeched as she rushed into the lounge, followed closely by Jon, the club owner. Opening my eyes, I sighed as I began to try to ease Kristin's hysterics. Jasper gave a small chuckle and gently lifted me up to sit me on his lap as we told the story to Kris and Jon.

Fifteen minutes later, I was headed out the back door, still wrapped in Jasper's arms. Jon had decided to send me home since I was drenched. He hadn't been pleased about the incident, insisting that I must have instigated the assault somehow. Jasper had started glowering at him when Jon started lecturing me about the importance of keeping the customers happy. I had squeezed Jasper's hand tighter and made lip service about being more polite in the future when rebuffing unwanted advances until Jon ended his sermon.

"I wish you had let me drive, Bella," Jasper said tensely as we began down the alley. "You're going to freeze while we walk to the subway."

"I'll live, Jasper," I said evenly as we walked. He was nearly vibrating with tension, even though we were still holding hands. I waited for him to start saying "I told you so," but he never did.

We didn't speak any more on the way to the subway station, but when we boarded our train, I snuggled into his lap across the seat. "You'll make yourself colder," he chided as he started to move me away from his cool body. I held tight and shook my head. "Not cold," I mumbled into his chest. "I need to be close to you." Without a word, he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.

When we reached his place, I took a quick shower to rinse the sticky alcohol off my arms and face. After getting into my pajamas, I joined him on the couch and started struggling to remove the knots I had tied my hair into. He gently stopped my hands and lifted me in front of him. Again I waited for him to chide me for getting into trouble tonight, but he never did.

In a comfortable silence, he gently worked the kinky twists out of my hair and finger combed it down my back. "Thanks," I yawned at him. "No problem," he murmured back, scooping me up and carrying me into the bedroom. He tucked me in and started to turn away. "Good night, Bella."

Reaching out toward his retreating body, I whispered, "Stay, please. I need to be close," I repeated as he smiled at me softly. When he lay down next to me, I didn't even try to force myself to keep my distance and snuggled against him. He laughed softly and repositioned me so that I was wrapped in the comforter, tucked under his arm. He started playing with my hair and I drifted quickly to sleep.

JPOV

I played with Bella's hair all night, occasionally leaning my head down to nuzzle the top of her head as she slept. She had a peaceful night without nightmares, despite the events of last night. This was the first time in several weeks we had spent the entire night together, and I enjoyed the sensation of having her little body tucked up against me, even though she was all bundled up.

Unfortunately, other parts of me noticed how nice she felt cuddled up with me, and I mentally swore as I felt myself get hard. I reminded myself that arousal was a natural after-effect of fear, and I had certainly been afraid for Bella's safety at the club. Fear wasn't a usual part of my life, and the sensation was hard to deal with. However, my dick ignored my psychological analysis and remained hard.

I started mentally translating the Gettysburg Address into Hungarian, trying to distract myself from the way Bella felt against me. There was no way to know how traumatized she had been by her previous experience with sex, and I certainly didn't want to scare her off with my physical reaction to her. The thought of her running away was like a shot of cold water, and I finally got control of myself.

As the morning light grew brighter, I heard her breathing begin to change as she began to wake up. I wondered if she would shut down on me again this morning as I waited for her to speak. She looked up at me with her deep brown eyes and reached up to my face with her free hand. "Why so serious this morning?" she whispered in a sleepy voice.

Deciding to continue my policy of honesty, I leaned my face into her hand and answered, "Just worrying that you'll push me away again, Sweetheart."

She didn't answer, but sat up and climbed into my lap. Taken by surprise, I scooted up so we were leaning against the headboard, and she leaned her head against my chest. My arms wrapped around her automatically, the motion becoming a habit when she was close enough to hold.

"Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being there for me," she whispered into my chest. I gave her a squeeze, not sure that I could respond without saying something that would offend her. Last night had been a nightmare, and it was all so unnecessary. She could quit that job and let me move her somewhere safe, but I knew she was unlikely to agree to these measures.

"About the pushing you away, Jasper," she began, her face still in my chest. "I'm trying to work on it," she admitted. I breathed in the scent of her hair and smiled. "You keep working on it, Bella. I'll wait," I assured her quietly. Groaning internally, I felt my dick growing erect again in reaction to her scent and her warm pressure on my lap. I discreetly adjusted her position so she wouldn't feel my difficulty first hand and we both relaxed. We sat that way for almost a half an hour, just enjoying the peace and the feeling of being close to someone.

She finally sighed heavily and moved away. "Sorry, but I really have to pee," she admitted sheepishly. I boosted her gently out of bed with a laugh. "Get moving then, I'll buy you breakfast," I teased as she headed to the bathroom. Taking advantage of the time she spent in the bathroom, I chastised myself for this sudden inability to be close to her without getting aroused. This wasn't what she needed from me, and I had to put a lid on before she became aware of it.

After she finished her morning routine, we walked to a small bakery and grabbed pastries and coffee to go. I grabbed a Sunday paper as we walked back and we each grabbed a section while she sipped her coffee and tore into the croissants she had chosen.

We passed the morning reading in companionable silence, when she finally stood and moved over to join me on the couch. Looking at me nervously, she twisted her hands in her lap. Her heart rate increased, and I wondered what she wanted to say.

"So did you want to talk about last night?" she asked reluctantly. "I could tell you were pretty angry, and I wanted to say I'm sorry for putting you in that situation," she added, looking down at her hands.

"Oh Bella, I wasn't angry," I said, reaching automatically for her hand. "I was scared, more scared than I've been since I lost you at the airport in Phoenix." Her eyes widened at that statement. She probably had no idea how horrible those hours had been for me. My own fear for her safety had been amplified by Alice's terror at what James had planned and my fear for Edward's reaction if we were too late to stop it.

Emboldened by the fact that she hadn't shut down yet, I continued. "I hate it that you work somewhere where that can happen. I respect that you need to work, but I wish you could find something safer," I admitted, rubbing her fingers with mine.

"I know, Jasper. It's not my dream job or anything, it's just impossible to find a 'decent' job with a shitty fake ID and no high school diploma," she huffed defensively. I decided to seize the opportunity to offer help. Gently releasing her hand, I stood up and walked to my desk, rifling through a drawer until I found the folder I was looking for.

"What if I could help you solve those problems, Bella?"I asked hopefully, handing her the folder. She opened it and held up the New York driver's license and social security card in her assumed name. Her hand trembled slightly, and I began to worry about her reaction.

My worry was short lived as she stood up and threw herself at me. "Jasper, this is great! This is good enough to get me in at a chain restaurant or maybe even a clothing store," she continued excitedly. "How did you get this? I never could have found someone to do one so real looking!"

Smiling in relief at her acceptance, I answered, "It's no big deal for me, Bella. I have some experience arranging new identities after my time with the Cullens, this was easy to come by." "This could change everything," she chattered on. "I can't wait to check out the want ads," she added, standing to grab the discarded sections of the newspaper.

She was reacting so much better than I had expected that I began to feel guilty about not offering her the ID earlier. Jenks had sent it to me days after I had asked for it, but I had hesitated about giving it to her, uncertain of how she would respond. Oh well, can't go back, and who knows if she would have accepted it so well a week ago, I thought to myself.

"Bella, how about I drop you off at your apartment on my way to hunt," I suggested. "You can check out your ads and I can pick you back up when I'm done. It's going to be overcast, so we can do whatever you feel like."

Absorbed in scanning the paper, she barely raised her head. "Sounds good. I can change and shower too." Frowning, I realized that Andy might be there or show up while I was gone. Emotions had been so chaotic during the fracas last night that I had been unable to determine Andy's connection to the group of people he had been with. Whatever his relationship was with them, I certainly didn't approve of the fact that he would associate with people who might have hurt Bella.

"You know, Bella, I have plenty of closet space if you ever want to bring some stuff to keep here," I offered softly. Careful, Jasper, I warned myself. Don't want to overdo it and make her shut down. She froze and looked up at me. I tensed, waiting for the fallout, and was shocked when she responded, "I'll think about it, Jasper."

Knowing it was time to back off, I didn't press the issue any further. She quickly gathered her things and we headed to her apartment. In the car, I decided to ask what she thought about Andy's behavior last night.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I don't know what to think. He pretended he didn't even know me, Jasper. The only thing I know for sure is that those guys he was with are not good company," she finished.

"I can't stand the thought of leaving you here," I admitted as I pulled up to her building. "I don't know what's going on with him, but I don't like it."

"He wouldn't hurt me, Jasper. I know he's not acting right, but he would never hurt me," she said, squeezing my hand.

"You don't know what he's gotten himself into, Bella. There's no way to predict what he might do." I felt a flash of irritation from her before it evaporated. "He won't hurt me, Jasper," she repeated, glaring at me.

"I'm not trying to boss you around, Bella, so don't get pissed. I just want you to be careful and try to stay out of his way until we figure out what his deal is," I sighed, hoping she wouldn't fight me on it.

Giving me a hard glare, she wrenched to car door open. "I'll be careful, alright? He probably won't even show up before you're back, anyway," she said, stalking toward her building. I kept my mouth shut and followed her inside. I escorted her to the door, listening for any other heartbeats. "He's not home yet, Bella."

Throwing her backpack down she turned to close the door. Her eyes had softened slightly, and she reached out for my hand. "I get that you worry, but you need to remember that as hard as my life is right now, I'd be a lot worse off if it wasn't for Andy. He's in trouble, but he's a good person," she finished.

"Be careful," was all I could say as I released her hand and turned away. "I'll be back in a few hours, Bella." She nodded and closed the door softly.

Pulling my cell phone out, I walked back to the car, scrolling through my contacts and hitting send. "Jenks here," answered a smooth voice over the phone. "What can I do for you, Mr. Whitlock?" he asked.

"Do you still have the address I gave you?" I asked brusquely. "Yeah, the one with the heating issues?" he queried back. "My guy told me the situation was resolved, is there a problem?" he continued, his voice turning harder as he spoke.

"No, the heat's on now, good work with that," I reassured him, smiling as I pulled the car out into traffic. I wasn't sure if Jenks had a moral code, but he took great pride in his work. Anyone who interfered with getting the job done would be hearing about it from him. "I need you to find out the name on the lease for that apartment unit. First name is Andy or Andrew, I don't know the last. After you get the name, I want you to run a full search on him, dig up everything you can," I instructed as I turned onto the West Side Highway, heading toward the Lincoln Tunnel.

"I'm on it. Anything else?" he asked hopefully. "No, that's it for now, Jenks. Call me when you get the information," I finished, ending the call. Driving into the tunnel, I was relieved to find no traffic. I was planning on trying out the wilderness in north Jersey for hunting. I knew they had all sorts of problems with bears in garbage cans in the area, although this was the wrong season for bear hunting.

The drive was quick, and I was impressed with the wildlife. There were deer aplenty, and signs were promising for bear when the weather warmed up. The thought about the changing seasons made me frown, as I realized I needed to reevaluate my plans for the coming months.

My intention had been to move elsewhere in the spring, as the weather was often fair on the east coast in the summer. There was no way I was going to leave Bella now that I had found her, but I wondered if I could convince her to move with me. Tabling the thought for later, I made my kill and disposed of the remains.

I headed back into the city, making one stop on the way. I was done with watching Bella freeze every time we were outside. She refused to allow me to drive her everywhere, apparently because she was hung up on the cost of parking, so we walked most places. The jacket she was wearing was way too thin for the cold weather, and she spent our walks shivering.

Walking quickly into Macy's, I found the coat department and made my selection. It was nothing too fancy, just a black down parka. I grabbed a hat and gloves to match and went to check out. The drive back to her apartment passed rapidly as I wondered how she would respond to the coat.

I made my way into the building and knocked on Bella's door, registering the sounds of two heartbeats from inside the apartment. Waiting as I listened to her footsteps approaching, I shifted the Macy's bag from hand to hand. I hadn't been this nervous over something in years, and the thought of the tiny girl inside giving me butterflies was ridiculous.

She opened the door and stepped aside for me to enter. "That was quick," she greeted me. "Yeah, I found another good spot that's not too far away." I tipped my head toward Andy's room. "Any problems while I was gone?"

She narrowed her eyes and sighed. "No, Jasper. He got back while I was in the shower, and I haven't even seen him." Relieved, I stepped further into the room. Her eyes zeroed in on the bright red bag, and I felt her anger lash out before she squashed it down. Not good, I thought to myself.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded loudly, grabbing the bag. I noticed the sound of Andy's door opening and watched him step into the hallway, leaning against the wall. Bella ripped the coat and accessories out of the bag, her eyes blazing at me as she examined the items.

"It's a coat, Bella," I answered calmly. This moment was really making me wish I could use my empathy to calm her, but I didn't want to try it for the first time while she was angry. Clearly she had reached the limit of help she was willing to take from me today, and I was just going to have to deal with her resentment.

"I have a coat, Jasper," she yelled harshly, pushing the new coat back into the bag. "If I need another coat, I'll get one," she continued, her voice rising even more. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Andy moving closer to the living area.

I felt my own irritation begin to rise as she made the ridiculous statement. We both knew she couldn't afford to replace it on her own. I forced myself not to show any sign of anger back at her, realizing it would just escalate her temper.

"I thought you were different, Jasper," she raged, stomping back to her room and returning with her worn jacket in her hands. "But you're just like the rest of them, thinking you can sweep into my life, throw your money around until everything suits you, and then disappear without a word," she screamed as she headed toward the door.

Her accusation cut me like a knife as I realized where her anger was coming from. She still didn't trust me to stick around, and she was lashing out to force me away so I couldn't abandon her first. "Where are you going, Sweetheart?" I asked calmly.

"For a walk," she spat out. "I need some time alone, no hovering will be necessary," she hissed in a low tone as she walked out the door. I waited, planning on letting her get slightly ahead of me and following at a distance.

The sound of dry laughter reminded me of Andy's continued presence. He sauntered into the room, his laughter getting louder as he walked. The frustration I had controlled in front of Bella welled up at him. "See something entertaining?" I demanded, turning to face him.

He looked awful, his face drawn and covered with stubble. I felt a small wave of sympathy until he spoke. "Yeah, I see lots, Jasper. More than you think, probably," he continued in a mocking tone. I just raised my eyebrow, wondering what he was referring to.

"I see you, just exploding inside, wanting to take her away from all this and give her a better life, even though she'd fight you all the way," he sneered, walking toward me. His heart was racing, and I smelled the heavy scent of amphetamines coursing through his blood.

"And I see her," he continued in a softer tone. "She's almost falling apart, torn between grabbing what you're offering and getting out of here as fast as she can…" he trailed off, scratching his arm violently. I silently waited for him to continue, curious to hear the rest of his thought. He finally snapped his head toward me. "Torn between running into your arms and running as far away from you as she can so you can't let her down too," he finished somberly, meeting my gaze.

I thought for a moment before answering, trying to decide how much to say. "The only person I'm accountable to right now is her, Andy," I began slowly. "I don't owe you explanations or promises. I will tell you that I'm doing everything I can to show her she can trust me. Right now, that means showing up and being there for her, even when she throws a fit, so I'm going to go after her."

I gave him a hard stare. "The next time you and I see each other, I'd like to have a little chat about what happened last night, but that can't be my priority right now." I felt a sickening wave of emotions from him crash over me. Remorse, fear and anger were all present, but they were eclipsed by a massive amount of despair. It was so intense that it was all I could do not to flinch away from him.

He turned away, walking back toward his room. "She'll be headed to the bench behind Corpus Christie church," he mumbled, unaware that I would be able to trace her scent wherever she went. "She sits there sometimes when she's upset," he finished as he disappeared inside his room. I shook my head and exited out the door to follow Bella.

AN

As always, huge thanks to Mynxi. I just couldn't do it without her. She rocks my socks.

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